From staff reports

After two epic baseball games, including one that featured a combined 33 runs, the Troup County 13-14-year-old all-stars are state champs.

Troup came into Friday’s championship round without a loss, meaning it had two chances to beat Newton County and wrap up the Dixie Boys Baseball state title.

Newton County won the first game, holding off Troup County 17-16 in a wild ballgame.

Troup was down by 12 runs, but it nearly rallied all the way back for the win, but it left the bases loaded in the seventh inning, allowing Newton County to escape with the win.

In the finale, Troup edged Newton County 5-3 to secure the tournament championship, and earn an invitation to the Dixie World Series.

For most of the players on the team, this marks a second consecutive state championship.

A year ago, 11 of the 13 players on this team were on the 13-year-old team that collected a state title.

Also on Friday, Troup National’s 11-12-year-old all-star team beat Lee County 10-0 in the first round of the Dixie Youth Baseball state tournament.

Troup American, meanwhile, beat Newton County 3-1 in its first game.

For a full wrap-up of Dixie baseball, including an in-depth look at the 13-14-year-old team’s long and dramatic day, see Monday’s sports section